After years of writing books that were actually too cumbersome to tote to the cosmetics counters (though many of you did just that), I am thrilled to announce that we are now completely mobile—and taking our reviews with you won’t be any heavier than your smart phone!  My Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews of over 45,000 skin-care, makeup, and select hair-care products are now available on the Beautypedia Mobile platform! That means anyone with an iPhone or an Android-equipped smart phone can access our unique, world-renowned database anywhere they take their phone.

Now we can really be with you at the cosmetics counters or salon, spa, drugstore, in-home demonstration, when you are reading a fashion magazine, and when you are watching an infomercial! Regardless of your budget, wasting money is not pretty!

And you do need me and my Cosmetics Cop Team! The cosmetics industry is so universally crazy that women from countries all around the world including Korea, Russia, France, Australia, Thailand, Italy, Singapore, Mexico, Israel, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China use our reviews to save their skin and save their money. 

All around the world, regardless of the beauty culture, women always ask me the exact same questions: what products really work for acne, wrinkles, sensitive skin, rosacea, dry skin, oily skin, blackheads, brown discolorations, scars, dark circles, cellulite, and on and on. My team and I have the answers, and it’s all there for you to access on your smart phone!

Everyone has wasted hundreds of dollars on products with claims that lied about what they can do. Our extensive research, relying on published information and our scrupulous analysis protocols is the only way you can shop safely knowing you are getting the absolute best products available for your skin and hair type.   

My team and I have written 18 books on skin care, makeup, and hair care, and each one has gotten bigger and bigger as more and more brands have hit the market. The most recent edition of Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me is over 1,000 pages. I know, I know, there is no way you could take that with you, but without the one-of-a-kind information we provide in hand when you were shopping, how could you know what you were really buying and how it compared to thousands of other products making the same claims? You couldn’t, and that is not a good situation for your skin, hair, or budget.

That dilemma is over now as long as you have an iPhone or an Android-equipped phone. My tech team has designed an easy-to-use site that allows anyone to quickly access the Cosmetics Cop Team’s reviews, even when you’re standing in the drugstore or department store wondering which mascara or anti-wrinkle cream is the best.

Are you looking at a new product being promoted at the cosmetic counters? Sign in to Beautypedia Mobile and see what the Cosmetics Cop Team has to say about it before you spend your money and risk disappointment! This is truly smart, portable cosmetics shopping at its best!

If you’re already a Beautypedia subscriber and have created a My Faves list, all of those products will be accessible once you sign in from your smart phone. You can also add and edit the My Faves list anytime, anywhere, right from your smart phone! How cool is that? You can even email the Cosmetics Cop Team from your phone, alerting us about any product on Beautypedia Mobile.

My Cosmetics Cop Team and I know you will find Beautypedia Mobile to be one of the best parts of owning a smart phone. We designed it with you in mind, and its creation was a direct result of subscriber feedback asking for this service.

As always, we welcome your feedback and thank you for relying on us to keep you beautifully informed as you navigate the tricky, often deceptive world of cosmetics!

My partner and I recently took a trip to the beautiful Chelan area of Washington State, an area known for its scenic beauty as well as an abundance of wineries. Given that we enjoy Washington wines immensely, both of us were eager to explore some wineries and see what was new.

While visiting a hilltop winery that overlooked Lake Chelan and the surrounding valley (a stunning view), I struck up a conversation with the young woman in charge of the winery’s tasting room. After small talk and lots of accolades from me about the wines she was sampling that day, she asked what I did for a living. I mentioned I was a writer, which immediately prompted my partner to chime in “He’s a published author who writes books with one of the best-selling beauty authors of all time!” Well, so much for being low key about my career…

Once she learned this, she paused mid-pour. Then she asked for the name of the book. I told her it was Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me—and she went nuts. “Are you serious? I love that book. We all do.” I have to admit I was a bit surprised this young woman (she was only 20) had heard of the book. Come to find out, she holds a second job as a saleswoman for Lancome at Macys in a neighboring town. She told me that her district manager is a big fan of Paula’s work and insisted her teams have our book at their cosmetic counters! Imagine that!

I stopped to enjoy a sip of some estate-grown Syrah before responding, after which I asked “But didn’t your manager notice that we don’t say a lot of nice things about Lancome, especially their skin care?” She knew, but apparently that didn’t bother her. In fact, the young woman stated that she agrees with a lot of what we wrote, but was glad we were complimentary about Lancome’s makeup (Lancome has always excelled with makeup). As it turns out, she and her co-workers routinely consult the book while at work! They use it to learn more about what they’re selling as well as what neighboring lines offer.

I can’t tell you how great it was to visit a small town and run into someone who was not only aware of the books I write with Paula, but truly appreciated our hard work (really hard work!). In fact, as a thank you, she gave me a complimentary bottle of merlot (we bought a few bottles of their other wines, too). I felt like a celebrity.

Most of the time, and understandably so, cosmetic salespeople are quick to dismiss the vast amount of work that goes into each book unless we only write positive things about the brand they represent. I definitely raised a glass to this young woman’s cosmetics manager for not being afraid to show her team the perspective of someone not unduly influenced by cosmetics industry’s hype! And that brief exchange set the tone for a great weekend; after all, who doesn’t enjoy hearing that what they put out there in the world makes a real difference in the lives of lots of women?

J ust seconds ago I finished approving the last round of edits for what will be Paula’s next book, Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 8th Edition. The book is huge! Even with our decision to only include lines readers ask us about most often (over 120 brands) the book still ended up being over 1,200 pages. I almost hurt my arm carrying the manuscript back to the designer’s office (and a special thanks to our graphic designer for making these books look so good).

Just last week Paula took me and our team out for a beautiful celebratory dinner at one of Seattle’s finest restaurants. It was a special evening, and the culmination of months of demanding, exacting work. It really does take a village to publish a book that candidly reviews thousands upon thousands of skin care and makeup products!

My team and I have spent the last couple of months making sure the book is as current as possible before it goes to print. Talk about anxiety! Thanks to lots of Starbucks drinks and healthy doses of humor we have made it to the end of another edition of Paula’s most popular book. Just like for the 7th Edition, we have Beautypedia to fall back on. Beautypedia serves as an extension of Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, and includes reviews of over 130 more brands we couldn’t fit into the book. Believe me, it eases our anxiety about sending the book to the printer and finding out, mere days later, that a major line is launching a new anti-wrinkle cream or another brand is completely redoing its makeup. When we were only writing books, such announcements left us crestfallen. With Beautypedia, we can make these changes as they occur, so the book, as it exists on Beautypedia, won’t be out-of-date.

With every new book one of our laments is that we always get feedback from readers asking us about the brands didn’t include. Although such feedback is welcome, we all feel disappointed since we endeavor to include a mix of well-known brands along with niche lines that have gained in prominence or popularity. As much as we try to hit a bull’s eye that will please everyone, we know that some readers will be upset that their favorite brand (or one they’re curious about) isn’t in the book. All I can do, besides apologize and let them know we track requests for all brands readers ask us about, is steer them toward all of the brilliant products we recommend in the latest book and on Beautypedia.com. I can say with 100% confidence that there is nothing in any line we didn’t review that could possibly surpass the best of what’s in the book and on Beautypedia.com. That may be hard to believe, we all want to believe there is an ultimate best or miracle lurking about somewhere, but after working with Paula on six books, countless newsletters, Beautypedia, and thousands of pages of content, heck, even I’d bet on that claim, and I’m not much of a gambler!

OK, I know this was a bit of a pat-ourselves-on-the-back blog entry, but I hope when the book is available (December) that you’ll agree it was a job well done. I’m thrilled with the team effort and thankful to Paula for the opportunity she’s given us to help educate consumers about the fascinating, sometimes brilliant, and often utterly maddening cosmetics industry!

Minneapolis

Paula would love to meet you when she is in Minneapolis on Monday, April 13th. She will be appearing on a few TV programs while she’s there and then doing a presentation at the Barnes & Noble Galleria in Edina at 7pm that evening.

Up close and personal Paula will bust beauty myths that will shock you, save you money, and help you take the best care of your skin! She will also be signing copies of her best-selling book, “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 7^th Edition.” Paula will also be giving away free samples of her newest Paula’s Choice products and skin care systems.

Minneapolis
Date: Monday, April 13, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Barnes & Noble Galleria
Street: 3225 W. 69th Street
City/Town: Edina, MN  55435

RSVP either on Facebook or here.

Send This Event to a Friend

Chicago

Paula would love to meet you when she is in Chicago on Wednesday, April 15th. She will be appearing on a few TV programs while she’s there and then doing a presentation at the Borders bookstore on Michigan Avenue at 7pm that evening.

Up close and personal Paula will bust beauty myths that will shock you, save you money, and help you take the best care of your skin! She will also be signing copies of her best-selling book, “Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, 7^th Edition.” Paula will also be giving away free samples of her newest Paula’s Choice products and skin care systems.

By the way, Paula grew up in Skokie and she’s looking forward to coming home and visiting her old neighborhood!

Chicago
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Borders Bookstore
Street: 830 No. Michigan Ave (@ Pearson)
City/Town: Chicago, IL 60611

RSVP either on Facebook or here.

Send This Event to a Friend